Akmal received his PhD in Mural Design from RIMAD, University of Bedfordshire, UK in 2009. He was a research fellow at the Research Institute of Media, Art and Design, University of Bedfordshire UK, 2010-2013.
Akmal was awarded the Erasmus + grant for staff mobility exchange at School of Art and Design-Cardiff Metropolitan University, Cardiff, UK in 2018.
He joined many prominent educational institutions where he served as a Visiting Lecturer at the Institution of Media, Art and Design, University of Bedfordshire, UK from 1/3/2008 to 1/4/ 2008. He worked as an Assistant Professor at the Decoration Department, the Faculty of Applied Arts from 2010 to 2015.He was also an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Arts and Design, MSA University, Egypt, and a Foundation Coordinator in 2016/2017. Prof. Akmal was also an Associate Professor in the School of Applied Arts, Badr University in Cairo (BUC). He was BUC and Cardiff School of Art and Design Coordinator/ International representative in 2019 till 2020